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relient K Artist:  relient K Label:  Gotee Records Time:  15 tracks, 46:40 minutes	Sample Hello McFly

Despite valiant efforts of the band to steer clear of the punk-rock label, Gotee Records’ relient K’s self-titled debut album is just that.  While it certainly has elements of modern rock and pop, the album has a definite MXPX feel to it.

Lyrically, the release has all the elements of the new wave of punk-rock. Light, often humorous, yet with an edge of truth, characteristic of the genre.  Musically, however, there's room for improvement.

The album opens with the cheerfully serious "Hello McFly," which features tight guitar riffs and lyrics speaking of the mistakes that humans make. The popular radio single "My Girlfriend" tells the story of the singer's girlfriend turning from Christ to a life of sin, weaving smart lyrics in with a raw musical exuberance; "Marilyn Manson ate my girlfriend/she once believed in the truth/now she believes in sin."

Silly songs like a re-do of the TV show "Charles In Charge" and a love song about juvenile sleuth Nancy Drew only add to the overall less than serious theme of the album.

While the potential is certainly there, the album tends to be a little repetitive.  Musically, while there are several songs that are capable of standing on their own in quality, the majority of the release tends to sound the same.  If you've heard one song, you've basically heard them all. 

The talent is there, but after a couple listens, I lost my enthusiasm and became bored.  Given a couple of years, and a few more times around the proverbial block, relient K will most likely capture my attention for longer than their debut.

Kerry Maffeo 7/13/2000

There’s nothing special about the ordinary band Relient K, who despite their budding enthusiasm, add
minimal substance to the world of punk music. Granted, they have uplifting lyrics that appeal to pre-teens and the youth group crowd, but they still have  a long way to go as mature artists in the genre.

Relient K is a direct copy band of those like MXPX and Blink 182, and at times on the album, they are
just as silly as the latter group.  On the song “My Girlfriend,” which also happens to be the disc’s first
single, the band tries to be anthemic, while instead sounding very foolish.  The song has a serious premise, being written about a group member’s friend who fell away from their walk with Christ to join the Goth scene.  The tune is based off the verse 1 Peter 5:8 which states, “Your enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  However, such a premise is hard to find within the chorus’ chant that “Marilyn Manson ate my girlfriend.”  That’s not to say that punk music isn’t allowed to be goofy, but the song just shows the band’s immaturity and attempt to trademark a statement that’s really not all that funny.

No other songs on the disc really stand out, although the tracks “Hello McFly,” “Softer to Me,” and the
remake of the 80s sitcom “Charles in Charge” theme song seem to sound very similar.  The pace of the
album is frankly, exactly the same all the way through.  It’s raw pop punk that is heart pumping and
fast paced, but the redundancy makes this disc hard to listen to straight through.

Andy Argyrakis 10/7/2000